Tasting Notes
Robert Parker 97
Combining subtleness with complexity, the coolish Krug 2004 Brut opens with a highly elegant, fascinatingly clear, bright and refreshing bouquet of ripe (apple) fruits. Dense and round, with a delicate mineral soul, the pure but perfectly balanced 2004 reveals great finesse and weightless elegance with a long and round finish. This is a gorgeous Krug vintage that is 14 years old but still on the rise. Tasted from ID 316034 in New York in November 2018.
Anticipated maturity: 2018-2050
JancisRobinson.com 18+
ID 216022. 39% Chardonnay, 24% Meunier, 37% Pinot Noir. They thought this would be ready before the 2002, so they had some bottles disgorged in 2014. The 2004 growing season benefited from 2003 when there was such a small yield post frost that the vines built up reserves, meaning that 2004 was a very generous crop and selection was permitted. Very pure and greenish straw. Savoury nose. Very dense but flyaway linseed nose. Quite rich on the palate. Tight knit. Very solid with baked-apple flavours. Lots of density. Called ‘luminous freshness’ by the Krug team. Masses of energy.
Anticipated maturity: 2017-2030
Vinous 97+
Krug’s 2004 Vintage is absolutely mesmerizing. Layers of bright, chiseled fruit open up effortlessly as the wine fleshes out with time in the glass. Persistent and beautifully focused, with a translucent sense of energy, the 2004 captures all the best qualities of the year. Moreover, the 2004 is clearly superior to the consistently underwhelming 2002 and the best Krug Vintage since 1996. Readers who can find it should not hesitate, as it is a magical bottle.
Anticipated maturity: 2017-2044
